A Statement from NYC Gaymers VP Shane Cherry on Living in the Second Trump Administration
It's been only a couple months since the beginning of the second Trump Administration, and a predictable surge of bigotry and chaos has followed. The White House has issued executive orders in bold defiance of both the laws of the country and basic human decency. The purpose of these orders is to spread cruelty and distract from the ongoing dismantling and privatization of government. Unfortunately, it will get much worse before it gets better. I will not lie to you; the situation is grave. Feeling scared is valid. I'm scared, too. But being scared and giving up are different. We can be scared together. We can help each other get through each day, one at a time. Bigotry has come once again to our doorstep. In times of hate, simply existing as your authentic self is an act of resistance. So as we always have, NYC Gaymers proudly declares: "We're Still Here."
“We’re Still Here.”
The marches of our predecessors must have been truly inspiring to witness in the moment. My personal experience seeing the queer community come together in NYC definitely aren't as inspiring, but they're just as important. I remember coming out of covid quarantine only for a monkeypox outbreak to immediately follow. It feels silly to think of waiting in line for a vaccine, cruising on the apps or shooting a flirting glance to someone as the line bends, as social action. But New York City curbed that outbreak, and we did by the efforts of the LGBTQIA+ community. America didn't have an mpox outbreak. We prevented it. It was prevented because we're here.
But there's something else notable about the monkeypox response. The vaccines were limited in who could receive them. Initially, only those of us who were assigned male at birth had access. Everyone excluded had to depend on the rest of us to lower transfer rates to help keep them safe. The intention there was to ensure proper testing before administration, but today, our TGNC siblings are under threat from actors with more maligned intentions. The bigots controlling our government want to erase some of our brightest shining stars, and we must stand by them shoulder to shoulder. If we don't fight for the rights of all people under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, we've failed as a community. We can't let that happen as long as we're still here.
And let's be real: Some of us have been feeling this way much longer than others. The fight for civil liberties in the LGBTQIA+ community is intimately and irrevocably entwined with the fight for Black civil rights. Black trans women have always been among the most vulnerable populations to suffer bigotry, scapegoating, erasure, and exclusion. As surely as Marsha "Pay It No Mind" Johnson (she / her, and, yes, that's what the P stands for) rose to the call, we can follow in those 6-inch heeled footsteps. They've built us a roadmap of strategies for change: visibility, empathy, resistance, and joy. And although I cannot be clear enough that violence should only be used in self-defense, yes, also bricks. It's difficult to grok - to fully reflect on and process - that this is no longer just a historical topic, but our daily lives. That's especially true for those of us who have been more privileged - that is, less threatened - in regards to our government before Trump's second term began. But the fact that has been true for the most vulnerable members of our community is true for us all now: If we want to preserve our personal human rights, we will have to fight for them, because of all the people in space and time, we're the ones who are right here.
And as for my part as an individual: I have been a part of NYC's LGBTQIA+ community for the better part of the last two decades. I started with a few board games, a Wii, and an N64, and I take an immense amount of personal pride in the fact that "nerdy nightlife" is now an industry. But that didn't happen because I had a dream. It happened because when I and others offered, you, the gaymers of New York, showed up. We decided we needed a place of our own - a place to simply exist in the presence of friends and chosen family - and we created it together. And my weekly events are sustained even now because you keep showing up and making the space safe, welcoming, and inclusive.
The coming years will be hard. We do not know what the future will bring. But NYCG isn't going anywhere. We are continuing our existing programs and starting brand new initiatives designed with a focus on sustainability, community, and safety. Throughout 2025, look for in-person and online events, safety information or recommendations on credible sources where you can find it, suggestions for ways to get involved with organizations that share our values and standards for safety planning, and plenty more. For now, however, we want to hear from you. You are the community, and you deserve to be heard. We want to know the ways to most effectively show up for you.
You can also reach out to us at youbelong@gaymers.nyc or visit gaymers.nyc to find out more about in-person social events, protests, virtual game nights, or social media campaigns as we develop the remainder of our year. We’re cultivating partnerships with communities and organizations that share our values. We plan to continue our relationships with venues like Uptown Gaming and OS NYC to ensure there are low-cost places we can come out and find community. We’ve worked with Geeks OUT to directly support the creation and facilitation of the Gaymers Lounge at Flame Con. And, of course, we’re already well into working on Gaymer Pride 2025. Despite the uncertainty of what comes next, we won’t let the government exhaust us. We will continue providing you with community spaces, commiseration, and fierce Smash Bros throw downs. We expect to spend a lot of time this year reacting, but as the chaos calms, as we have before, we will raise our fists in triumph together once again because we will still be here.
You'll be hearing more from me throughout the upcoming year. Stay strong, NYC.
Together,
Shane Cherry
Vice President, NYC Gaymers
(he / him)